Mozilla Open Education course – Overview

We had our first session of the Mozilla Open Education Course earlier this evening and it was pretty interesting. There were a few technical issues with sound but generally it was very well done. Thanks to everyone who made it possible.

Here’s a few notes that I took during the session. I know the video will be available later but I took notes anyway and listed the comments from the presenter as it was happening, so there may be errors. If I’ve made any mistakes, please let me know.

Mark Surman (from the Mozilla foundation)Spoke about why Mozilla is involved and what the foundation’s motivations are.

Why do the course?

Students are living and learning on the web. Education is not working and the web is making this even clearer.

Educators need to teach like the web, using these building blocks:

(open) content

(open) tech

(open) pedagogy

This course is about using these building blocks…all 3 need to come together in order for open education to work.

Why do Mozilla and CC care?
To promote openness, participation and distributed decision-making as a core part of internet life. Education is critical to this.

It’s mission is to minimise the legal, technological and social barriers to sharing and reusing educational materials.

Focusses on ways to improve opportunities for and education:

Teach about OER

Solve problems (built the “discover” tool for OER)

Build and diversify community (education is traditionally subdivided into camps e.g. university, high school). Open education transcends these boundaries. Boundaries useful but should be permeable.

Explore better pedagogical models (learning is not something that happens in a delimited way, ideally it should be enjoyed and embraced all the time. Models haven’t penetrated, everything the same way for the last 50 years (deeply entrenched)

Empower teachers and learners (certain expectations of students / teachers, “this is what it means to teach/learn”. Little power to engage as “scientists” in teaching / learning and make adjustments. Open source development models – emphasisise feedback, creating a system that allows experimentation in an open, transparent, participatory way.

Embrace overarching principle for engaged padagogies, not new but has become inevitable.

Crucial considerations:

Constant, formative feedback (must want to be assessed)

Education for skills and capacities, not rote knowledge (the internet makes it obvious why this is the way to go, “knowledge” is already everywhere, thinking is more important. “Skilled learners”.